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Question:

Our company builds entertainment centers and home office furniture. Our customers are requesting maple wood to be used in addition to the alder that we have been using. We are finding the maple very hard to stain. Our wiping stains do not seem to penetrate into the maple, and basically wipe off too clean. Do we need to practice for the next 100 years to learn the technique of matching the maple to alder? Please help.

Answer:

Generally, the same stain material or stain process that is used on alder does not work well on maple. Maple is much harder and denser species of wood substrate than alder wood. A very satisfactory method to stain maple to the color of alder is to use a dye stain. The dye stain should be tinted to approximately 75 percent of the final color before applying the wiping stain. A good formula for dye stain to use on maple is mixing a fast evaporating lacquer thinner with a range of 6 to 12 percent dye concentrate, depending on the depth of color you are looking to achieve. Also you may want to add 3 percent lacquer or vinyl sealer to the dye stain mixture. This will help prevent blotchiness when a stain is wiped over the top of it. Spray the dye stain down on the wood uniformly. Do not try to wipe the dye stain. After the dye stain has dried for a few minutes, you should be able to apply most commercial wiping stains directly over the top of the dye stain to achieve your final color. Once you start using the dye stains, you will find them relatively easy to use and provide a far better result than using a shader after the sealer has been applied. A dye stain/wiping stain process will always provide the richest depth of color on maple wood.

Ed. note: Phil Stevenson is the founder of the American Wood Finishing Institute (AWFI) in Vineland, N.J.